


Vulnerable Volleyball

by SetterxSpiker



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gay, Kissing, Lots of blushing, M/M, Romance, awkward teen romance, more like die like daichi, no smut sorry guys, not proofread we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25560730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SetterxSpiker/pseuds/SetterxSpiker
Summary: For Hinata and Yamaguchi, it seriously sucks being in love with your best friend.(Happy Birthday, Emma!)
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 167





	Vulnerable Volleyball

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KagehinaLollipop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KagehinaLollipop/gifts).



> I did not proofread this, sorry inadvance. Also, how the fuck do you indent
> 
> Small thing that I wrote for my sister's birthday! We were both really upset at the fact that Haikyuu ended (especially since they didn't show the Kagehina and Tsukkiyama wedding but it's okay we all know it happened off-screen), so I hope this makes your day a little brighter! If not, go die.

Hinata sprinted to class, his shoes untied thanks to his alarm. The dumb thing hadn’t gonna off and now Hinata was rushing to get to school on time. His mom was sure to be unhappy with a tardy slip!

As he passed by the convenient store at the end of the street, he was almost—almost—tempted to grab a meat bun on the way, but quickly shook his head and continued pursuing his earlier goal.

Hinata arrived just as the bell rang, the teacher giving him a dirty look. He laughed awkwardly and walked quickly to his seat, plopping down and grabbing his books from his bag. While the teacher welcomed the class with a small greeting, Hinata flipped open his notebook, his messy notes sprawled everywhere on the pages.

Once the teacher began class, Hinata instantly tuned out, his mind focused on the thing he cared about most: volleyball. He couldn’t wait to get to practice at the end of the day! Nothing made him happier than spiking the ball across the court and feeling the blood rush through his ears and skull as his adrenaline carried his every move.

But... that wasn’t the only reason Hinata likes volleyball.

Besides the sport itself, a certain someone seemed to catch Hinata’s eye the more time they spent together. From playing volleyball, to getting meatbuns, and racing to the gym, Hinata enjoyed almost every single moment he spent with Kageyama. _“Almost”_ because there were times when Kageyama did or said something rude, like claiming he was better at volleyball than Hinata (not true!) or calling him a dumbass (which Hinata most certainly is not!).

Still, as time went on, the raven-haired man seemed to occupy Hinata’s mind more than the first-year was comfortable with. No matter what he did, the ginger couldn’t seem to chase away the thoughts of Kageyama’s piercing blue eyes, his height that would make it so perfect for Hinata to rest his head on, and his well-taken care of hands that Kageyama kept the utmost care of. Sure, Kageyama still had rough palms and fingertips from the skin that had to adapt overtime to the feeling of the volleyball, but Hinata didn’t kind. He liked it, even.

The redhead’s mind drifted back into the present. He looked down at his sheet of paper, surprised to see it was filled up with writing. It was then that Hinata realized he had been writing Kageyama’s name over and over again in his journal instead of his notes.

He crossed his arms on the desk and threw his head down.

_Gah!! What am I doing?_

—————

“Tsukki! Wait up!”

Yamaguchi ran to catch up with his taller friend that had started to walk ahead of him. The pair spent almost every morning walking to school together. In fact, the two of them spent a lot of time together both inside and outside school.

Yamaguchi himself was usually the one initiating, like texting Tsukishima if he wanted to go out to eat or watch volleyball DVDs (the answer to that one was usually no).

It wasn’t like Yamaguchi minded. Tsukishima had been that way for just about as long as they had been friends. He was very unapproachable, but Yamaguchi knew that once you got to know him, Tsukishima was the coolest, funniest, smartest, strongest, _handsomest....._

Wait. Where had he been going with this?

Anyways, Yamaguchi didn’t mind their relationship as it was. Every minute that the two spent together, even if they were just in the same room existing together, he treasured every moment of it.

“Hurry up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima huffed, not bothering to look back. Yamaguchi smiled cheerfully and took his place next to Tsukishima. In the past, Yamaguchi may have walked a little bit behind his friend, but nowadays neither one of them minded—or even seemed to notice—that Yamaguchi had begun to walk by his friends side rather than his back.

“Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi replied, his demeanor the same.

The two walked in silence for a while, the two with their hands in the pockets of their jackets, trying to stay warm in the slight autumn breeze.

“It sure is cold, huh?” Yamaguchi said, rubbing his hands together, trying to create some friction. Tsukishima have him a sideways glance before answering.

“It’s to be expected. It’s February, after all.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Tsukki. Hopefully they don’t have the AC on in the gym,” the shorter one answered, a nervous sweat building on his forehead. “I don’t know how I survived it in middle school.”

The blond didn’t answer after that, but Yamaguchi knew he was listening. While Tsukishima was a confusing person and sometimes the brunet couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head, Yamaguchi was sure that his friend wasn’t tuning him out.

Yamaguchi felt his cheeks go a little pink. _He’s so cool...!_

—————

As usual, volleyball practice after school was the highlight of Hinata’s day. The team divided themselves into two sides, both facing each other across the net. Unsurprisingly, Hinata and Kageyama were on the same team. How could anyone split up the dynamic duo?

“Don’t screw this up, Dumbass,” Kageyama grunted, giving Hinata a sideways glance. Hinata felt hot anger rush to his face. The two looked at each other blankly for a single moment before Hinata dived for Kageyama’s face while the raven-haired man went to kick the ginger’s knees. Only when Daichi barked at them to cut that shit out did they move to their rightful positions on the court.

Practice went on as usual, with Noya and Tanaka being loud and obnoxious, Suga cheering for everyone, regardless of what side they were on, and Asahi being as self-conscious as usual (lol). The teams were tied, with each winning a single set. The score was 24-25, the favor in Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and the most relevant character of all: Kinoshita.

“Alright, team!” Nishinoya said, a fierce grin etched on his face. “One more point!!’

“I wouldn’t get too excited,” Tsukishima replied, his glasses glinting as he smirked. “It’s Hinata’s turn to serve.”

This fact had not struck the redhead until just now. Oh shit! Everyone on the team knew that Hinata had a bit of trouble with his serving. He was decent, but his nerves tended to get the best of him and he couldn’t always manage to get the ball over the net that divided him from his opponents.

Hinata gulped as he made his way to the service line. He spun the ball in his hands a few times, getting a feel for the texture. He went to throw the ball into the air, when he suddenly felt a shiver claw its way up his spine. Hinata felt his hands become sweaty.

_What the hell? ___

__When Hinata looked in front of him at his team, he noticed a dark aura radiating off of Kageyama. Even when he could only see the taller teen’s back, Hinata knew that Kageyama had a grim expression on his face. He knew exactly what the taller boy was thinking._ _

___”You better not mess up.”__ _

__Ugh. Seriously, Kageyama?_ _

__Ignoring the back of Kageyama’s beautiful head (wait--what?), Hinata decided to serve. He would show Kageyama! His serve would not only make it in, but be the best damn serve that that stupid idiot had ever seen!_ _

__Hinata took a deep breath and relaxed his body. He threw the ball into the air, watching as a dark shadow formed over it, the fluorescent lights of the gym behind the volleyball. With determination, he hit the ball. . ._ _

__. . . right into the net._ _

___”Ah, shit._ ”_ _

__Kageyama’s eye twitched ever-so-slightly as he watched the ball drop to the floor and roll somewhere behind him._ _

__“Yo! Chill, Kageyama!” Tanaka said, giving his junior a slap on the back. Kageyama looked at him curiously, not understanding why Tanaka had just hit him? Tsukishima snorted as he stared at Kageyama’s blank face._ _

__“You’ll get it next time!” Ennoshita yelled, giving Hinata a thumbs up. While it did cheer him up slightly, Hinata still felt embarrassed at the fact that he had--yet again--looked like an idiot by missing his serve._ _

__After that, it was Yamaguchi’s turn to serve. The twelfth member of the club had started the year off with little confidence, low stamina, and poor volleyball skills. After working hard to practice his serves almost every single night, Yamaguchi had become an amazing player thanks to his killer float serve that always seemed to screw everyone up._ _

__Yamaguchi took a short, yet deep, breath and served the ball much quicker than Hinata ever had. Unlike the redhead, the brunet was confident in his ability to serve, so he was able to quickly cope with his nerves._ _

__Unsurprisingly, the ball soared across the court and made its way over the net. Nishinoya barely managed to bump the ball. Unfortunately, the ball had curved its way in a way that nobody had expected and they all watched as it flew off Nishinoya’s arms and off to the side, almost hitting Yachi. She let out a shriek as Kiyoko stuck her hand out and stopped it from hitting the smaller girl._ _

__“Woah!” Tanaka cried. “Kiyoko is badass as hell!”_ _

__Daichi was practically dragging Nishinoya and Tanaka by their shirts as they got on their knees in front of the black-haired girl, bowing to her like she was some sort of God._ _

__After that, it was Kageyama’s turn to serve._ _

___Crap,_ thought the other team._ _

__Kageyama rolled the ball in his dry hands. Hinata watched in jealousy as Kageyama smoothly got the ball over the net and onto the opponent’s side. So what if he was a teeny tiny bit better than Hinata at serving? Hinata was one thousand percent better at everything else!_ _

__As the game went on, Asahi ended up spiking the ball past the other team’s blockers. Nishinoya barely managed to save the ball, bumping it high into the air for Kageyama to set. To everyone else, it was quite obvious who would be the one spiking this ball. As fast as lightning, Hinata sprinted to the opposite side of the court, planting his feet on the ground as he soared through the air, feeling the wind he created around himself wind through his hair. He smiled widely, loving every second of it._ _

__The setter had, of course, set the ball in the perfect position for Hinata to spike the ball cross-court and win the point. Kageyama smirked as he watched the shorter boy perfectly spike his ball._ _

__Unfortunately, Tsukishima knew exactly what was happening and quickly blocked the ball. Kageyama and Hinata watched in horror as the ball fell to the ground, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Ennoshita all diving for it, but none of them managed to save it._ _

__“Yikes. Better luck next time, shorties,” Tsukishima said as he used his shirt to clean off his glasses. Kageyama and Hinata grit their teeth._ _

__“Nice one, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi cried. Tsukishima put his glasses back on._ _

__“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”_ _

__“Sorry, Tsukki!”_ _

__After that, Tsukishima’s team had officially won and the boys were free to go home. Kageyama and Hinata tried to stealthily hide in the gym so that they could continue practicing, but Daichi caught them and forced them to walk their asses home so that they could go to sleep at a reasonable hour._ _

__The pair walked together, Hinata holding his bicycle by the handlebars as he rolled it down the sidewalk._ _

__

__“Man, I can’t believe Tsukishima blocked that ball.” His face twisted in a angry scrunch, thinking back to the occurrence._ _

__“We’ll get him next time,” Kageyama said smoothly, taking a bite from his meatbun. Hinata gazed up at him, watching Kageyama’s eyes that were trained on the path in front of them. Suddenly, he felt a wide grin etch its way onto his face and his cheeks warmed, despite the cool air surrounding them._ _

__“Yeah, we will.”_ _

__The two walked in silence for a while, Kageyama kicking a rock in front of him. Hinata felt himself studying the boy next to him. He watched as Kageyama looked down at his feet, the way his hair swayed in the wind, and the way his calloused, cold, yet inviting hand put the last of his meatbun in his mouth. He chewed it and Hinata watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed._ _

__Hinata felt his cheeks warm considerably as he watched Kageyama subconsciously. He couldn’t help the thought that entered his mind._ _

___I love you.__ _

__He almost jumped back in surprised when Kageyama nearly gave himself whiplash at how fast he turned to look at Hinata._ _

__“. . .What?!”_ _

__Hinata looked at him curiously for a moment. The two came to a halt as the older boy came to a jarring realization._ _

___I just said that out loud!!??_ _ _

__He felt his hands become clammy and his throat tighten up. His bike slipped from his hands and he fumbled around with his body and words._ _

__“J-Just kidding! I was just messing with y-you! I got you good, huh?” He took a gulp as he turned front and started speed walking home._ _

__Kageyama grabbed the back of Hinata’s Karasuno jacket, the boy momentarily stunned as he gasped for air when the collar of his jacket choked him._ _

__“Ouch! Not cool, Kage--”_ _

__His sentence was cut short by the feeling of chapped lips against his own._ _

__The feeling wasn’t like Hinata had fantasized before. When he lay in bed, late at night, he would hug his pillow as he imagined their lips softly connecting and Kageyama’s tongue smoothly running its way across Hinata’s bottom lip. Hinata would wrap his arms around the black-haired teen’s neck and they would share a passionate embrace as a beautiful sunset glowed behind them and a pair of swans would form a heart with their necks in the distance or something out of those movies his mom and Natsu liked to watch so much._ _

__This kiss was nothing like that. It was rushed and clumsy and Hinata’s sweaty hands were _still fumbling with that goddamn bike._ It was obvious that neither of the two had a clue as to what they were doing, both of them inexperienced with romance. The kiss was almost a peck, lasting but a few seconds._ _

__When Kageyama pulled away, he had a blush flaring across his cheeks and Hinata was sure that he had never seen this side of his partner before. Kageyama shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he looked at the trees, the road, their shoes--anything but the boy in front of him. Hinata could only blankly stare, his expression mirroring Kageyama’s. He took a low gulp as he stuttered out the only words he could seem to form._ _

__“Y-You… like me, too?!” Kageyama rolled his eyes, turning his head the other way._ _

__“What do you think, Dumbass?!”_ _

__Hinata bit his tongue to keep himself from giggling like an elementary schooler. He felt his heart thump against his ribcage like a drum, beating so fast that he almost felt like he was in the middle of a match._ _

__The redhead dropped his bike and leaped into Kageyama’s arms, burying his head in the chest that he had imagined for so long now. Kageyama slowly wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, adjusting to the feeling of giving Hinata an actual embrace rather than a slap on the head when the ginger failed to hit the ball._ _

__The two sat like that for what seemed like hour. It was silent, but they could tell what the other was thinking._ _

___I love you, too._ _ _

__—————_ _

__Yamaguchi and Tsukishima walked home together, the blond boy playing music through his headphones. The brunet had his hands in the pockets of his pants as he thought about important and serious things._ _

___I really want some fries right now._  
As a way to pass the time, Yamaguchi had taken to counting his steps. His nose was turning pink and the only sound between the two was the boy’s sniffs and the muffled sound of whatever Tsukishima was listening to through his headphones._ _

__Looking at Tsukki, Yamaguchi couldn’t help but let his mind wander. The cold wind of the night against his neck sent a shiver down his spine. Unrealistic as it was, he sometimes wished Tsukki would wrap an arm around the slightly shorter boy. He scratched the back of his neck and blushed when he thought about it. But these were, of course, daydreams. For as long as the two had been friends, Yamaguchi knew that Tsukki was never the touchy-feely or clingy type. And for the most part, Yamaguchi wasn’t either. But sometimes it felt nice to let his heart take over for his head._ _

__He blinked in surprise when Tsukishima paused his music and lowered his headphones to his neck._ _

__“What?” Tsukishima asked. When he was met with a blank stare, he followed with “You’re staring at me.”_ _

__“Oh!” Yamaguchi replied, his face heating up even more. “Sorry, Tsukki! I was just thinking about how good you were today during practice! Like when you read Kageyama and Hinata’s moves. I wish I could do that, but I’m not good enough at volleyball.”_ _

___Oh my god,_ Yamaguchi moaned in his head. _Shut up with the self-loathing!__ _

__Tsukishima looked at Yamaguchi for a minute before turning his neck to face the front once again. He smoothly answered, “What are you talking about? You looked cool when you were serving.”_ _

__“Oh,” Yamaguchi said, softer this time. Wait a minute. Did Tsukki just call him _cool?!__ _

__“Oh!! Thank you, Tsukki!”_ _

__“Why are you thanking me? It’s the truth. You shouldn’t think so highly of other people.”_ _

__Yamaguchi wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he stuck with his classic “Sorry, Tsukki.” It was weird. This conversation was turning really awkward really fast._ _

__Tsukki sometimes said things like that (and he said them as if they were nothing on top of it). Things like “don’t idolize me,” or “think more highly of yourself.” Yamaguchi always felt good when the blond told him those things, but it was hard. When he stood next to Tsukki, he felt like he was standing next to the coolest, smartest, hottest (Yamaguchi knows what he said), most popular person ever. It wasn’t uncommon for girls to approach Yamaguchi, asking him to give their letters of confession to Tsukki or asking him to put in a good word for them. He refrained from doing the latter, allowing his jealousy to get the best of him._ _

__He felt awful for the way he felt about his friend, because he felt like he didn’t deserve to be in love with Tsukishima, much less even entertain the idea that maybe--just maybe--they could end up together. It was stupid wishing, because Tsukishima could have anyone he wanted. Why would he want Yamaguchi?_ _

__He felt his chest fill with a cold, hard, static-y feeling. He bit his lip, fighting back the lame expression that almost made its way onto his face. He didn’t want to worry Tsukki. That was the least he could do._ _

__Luckily for him, they finally came to the end of the block where the two went opposite directions. As much as he loved Tsukishima, being around him right now was messing with his head. Yamaguchi gave a small wave as he turned his back to his friend, ready to go home and distract himself with his homework or something._ _

__“Yamaguchi.”_ _

__Normally Tsukishima would simply nod his head and make his way home to study, so Yamaguchi turned around in surprise when he heard his friend’s smooth voice behind him. Yamaguchi had no time to respond before he felt a tug on his bicep as he stumbled forward right into Tsukishima, who had leaned down to give Yamaguchi a very quick kiss on the mouth._ _

__Yamaguchi tripped over himself as he flew back, reeling in shock._ _

___What? What? Whatwhatwhatwhat?!?!?!?_ _ _

__Tsukishima just stared at him blankly as Yamaguchi covered his face with the back of his hand. When the surprise had been overridden by embarrassment, Yamaguchi’s cheeks flushed to a bright red color._ _

__“W-W-What the heck was that?!” he cried. Tsukishima kept his same expression._ _

__“What do you mean?” Tsukishima replied. Yamaguchi felt his jaw drop._ _

__“Why the hell did you just kiss me? I mean, what? Was that on purpose.”_ _

__Tsukishima frowned in annoyance. “Who accidentally kisses someone? That’s so lame. What are you so worked up for? You like me, right?”_ _

___BULLSEYE!_ _ _

__Yamaguchi sat in complete awe at the teen in front of him. Okay, first of all, Tsukki had kissed him (which was, not only jarring, but absolutely _delicious_ , by the way), which was super weird. Second. . ._ _

___TSUKKI KNOWS I LIKE HIM?! Oh my gosh this is so embarrassing!!_ _ _

__“I. . . N-No I don’t! I mean, of course I like you--BUT BECAUSE WE’RE FRIENDS!” Yamaguchi cried, lying through his teeth. “But romantically? Ha! No.”_ _

__Yamaguchi twiddled his fingers together, staring to the side. If he looked Tsukishima in the eyes right now, he was sure he would have a meltdown or something. He knew that Tsukki could be rude at times, but was he seriously making fun of Yamaguchi for something like that?!_ _

__Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow and smirked slightly. “Really?”_ _

__Yamaguchi gulped before letting out a slow exhale, his shoulders sagging. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was sure that Tsukki knew and Yamaguchi wasn’t always the most convincing person. The boy could feel tears of humiliation welling up in his eyes. “Um, I mean. . . Maybe just a little bit. Why? Was it obvious?”_ _

__Tsukishima let out a snort. “Yeah. You look at me with that face all the time.”_ _

__Yamaguchi bit his lip in another attempt to hold back his tears of mortification. Not only did Tsukki know that Yamaguchi had a crush on him, he was even teasing him for it? The thought suddenly took over his mind and he clenched his fists, anger welling up inside him._ _

__“Seriously, Tsukki? I know you can be insensitive, but I can’t believe you! Kissing someone just to make fun of them is super lame!”_ _

__Now Tsukishima was getting a little annoyed. “I wouldn’t kiss someone for a dumb reason like that.”_ _

__“You just did!”_ _

__Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “No. Obviously I also like you, so stop crying already.”_ _

__That made Yamaguchi pause. “Wait, what?”_ _

__“Do I need to repeat myself?”_ _

__Yamaguchi furiously shook his head as his mind began to process what was happening. Tsukki. . . liked him back?_ _

__“Just to clarify,” Yamaguchi said, not noticing Tsukishima’s sigh. The blond already knew what was coming. “You like me like. . . in a romantic way, not like a friendly way?”_ _

__“Yes, Yamaguchi.”_ _

__“Oh.”_ _

__. . ._ _

__“OH!”_ _

__Yamaguchi felt himself beam as he smiled probably the hardest he had in his entire life. Tsukki liked him AND kissed him!?_ _

__And the shorter boy didn’t feel embarrassed one bit when he lunged at his friend (Boyfriend? He’ll work out the kinks later) and wrapped his arms around the blond’s neck, stealing one more kiss for the road._ _


End file.
